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After spending a few weeks with 30-year-old vet Cary Williams and rookie fifth-round pick Tye Smith, he sounds pleased.

"I think he's doing a great job," Sherman said of Williams, via ESPN.com. "He's been in the league for seven years now, and he's played the technique we play."

On Smith: "I think Tye is going to be a good player. He's a little raw. Sometimes he gets ... I don't want to say, but he just loses focus out there. Overall, I think he's playing good ball."

Sherman's positivity will need to be contagious, of course. Assuming the Seahawks' defense continues to play well, any member of the secondary that reaches the free agent market will be plucked by another team looking to recreate the same magic. Just ask Byron Maxwell.

Outside of the precious few Seattle can lock down long-term, breaking in cast-away veterans and rookies will be the new norm.